April 27, Thursday, 2023

1. Japan’s health ministry has officially decided to downgrade the legal status of the coronavirus on May 8. The ministry on Thursday endorsed the government’s plan to categorize the coronavirus in the same group as seasonal influenza. The ministry plans to have more medical institutions examine and treat coronavirus patients after the downgrading. 2. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he wants to see women in at least 30 percent of executive positions at Japan’s top listed companies by 2030. Kishida presented the goal at a meeting of the government’s Council for Gender Equality held on Thursday.
3. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to establish a large-scale startup support center to actively promote the development of innovative businesses and overseas expansion. The metropolitan government aims to boost the numbers of entrepreneurs and so-called unicorn firms with valuations of 1billion dollars or more.